Ulu News - March 18 by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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March 18, 2014

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Northern games

“One of the unique things about the Arctic Winter Games is the inclusion of sports unique to the competing teams from the circumpolar north. ...”

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Arctic Winter Games athletes race Monday in snowshoes. Troy Bouffard/Ulu News

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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MEDALS BY TEAM

Tuesday’s games » 3 Cultural events » 4 Speakers » 5 Team profiles » 7 Pin trading » 8 Past athlete profile » 10 Volunteer profile » 11 Birch Hill sports » 12 Games roundup » 14 Pins of the day » 15

Ulu counts were not announced by press time.

Contingent

Gold Silver Bronze

Alaska Alberta North Greenland NWT Nunavik-Quebec Nunavut Sapmi Yamal Yukon

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Arctic Winter Games schedule: Today, Wednesday TODAY

ALPINE SKIING—Mt. Aurora Skiland, Giant Slalom, Juvenile and Junior Female and Male, First Run 11:30 a.m., Second Run 2 p.m. ARCTIC SPORTS—Lathrop High School, Two Foot High Kick, Junior and Open Female and Male, 9 a.m.; Arm Pull, Junior Female and Male and Open Female, 2:30 p.m.; Head Pull, Open Male, 5:30 p.m. BADMINTON—North Pole High School, Juvenile Female and Male Singles, Junior Female and Male Singles, Junior Female and Male Doubles, Juvenile Female and Male Doubles, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. BASKETBALL—UAF Patty Center, Junior Female, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Junior Male, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 4 p.m. BIATHLON SKI—Birch Hill Recreation Area, Juvenile Female and Male 4K Sprint, 2:30 p.m.; Junior Female and Male 6K Sprint, 2:30 p.m. BIATHLON SNOWSHOE— Birch Hill Recreation Area, Juvenile Female and Male 2K Sprint, Junior Female and Male, 3K Sprint, 11:30 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY SKIING— Birch Hill Recreation Area, Classic Sprints, Juvenile Male and Female, 750 meters, Junior male and Female 750 meters Midget Female and Male, 600 meters, Qualifying starts at 10 a.m., Heats begin at 12:30 p.m. CURLING—Fairbanks Curling

Club, Junior Female and Male, 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. DENE GAMES—Randy Smith Middle School, Snow Snake, Junior Male and Juvenile Female, 10 a.m., Junior Female and Open Male 12:30 p.m. DOG MUSHING—Jeff Studdert Racegrounds, Juvenile Coed Fivedog 10K Race, 10 a.m.; Junior Coed Seven-Dog 13K Race, 11:30 a.m. FIGURE SKATING—Carlson Center, Short Program, Junior Female, Ladies 1, 8 a.m., Ladies 2, 8:50 a.m.; Ladies 3, 9:40 a.m.; Ladies 4, 10:30 a.m. GYMNASTICS—Gymnastics Inc., Junior Female, Team Competition, 10:45 a.m. ICE HOCKEY—Big Dipper Ice Arena, Bantam Male, 9 a.m., 3:45 p.m.; Midget Male, 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m.; Junior Female, 11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Junior Female, 7 p.m.; UAF Patty Center, Junior Female, 8:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. INDOOR SOCCER—UAF Student Recreation Center, Intermediate Female, 2 p.m,, 3 p.m.; Junior Female, 1 p.m.; Junior Male, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Juvenile Female, 9 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Juvenile Male, 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING—Carlson Center, Juvenile Female, 500M, 3:45 p.m.; Juvenile Male, 500M, 3:54 p.m.; Junior Female, 500M, 4:06 p.m.; Junior Male, 500M, 4:15 p.m.

SNOWBOARDING—UAF Hulbert Nanook Terrain Park, Rail Jam, Junior Female and Junior Male, 11 a.m.; Juvenile Female and Juvenile Male, 11 a.m. VOLLEYBALL—Randy Smith Middle School, Junior Female, 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m.; West Valley High School, Junior Male, 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m.; 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. WRESTLING—North Pole Middle School, Junior Mixed, Team Competition, 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., Noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. CULTURAL EVENTS—Pioneer Park, AWG Museum Exhibit, Folk Art Fest and Expo, Pin Sales and Pin Trading, Museums and Train Rides, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Film Festival 2-8:30 p.m.; Co-Op Plaza and Bentley Mall, Lunch Performance, Noon-2 p.m.; Grange Hall, North Pole, Yamal in the Children’s Eyes, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; To be determined, Fireworks Extravaganza, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

ALPINE SKIING—Mt. Aurora Skiland, Slalom, Juvenile and Junior Female and Male, First Run 11:30 a.m., Second Run 2 p.m. ARCTIC SPORTS—Lathrop High School, Triple Jumps, Junior Female and Male, Open Female and Open Male, 9 a.m.; Alaskan High Kick, Junior Female and Male, Noon; Open Female, and

Male, 2:30 p.m. BADMINTON—North Pole High School, Juvenile Female and Male Singles, Junior Female and Male Singles, Junior Female and Male Doubles, Juvenile Female and Male Doubles, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. BASKETBALL—UAF Patty Center, Junior Female, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Junior Male, 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m. CURLING—Fairbanks Curling Club, Junior Female and Male, Playoffs 9 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. DENE GAMES—Hering Auditorium, Hand Games, Junior Male and Juvenile Female, 0 a.m., Junior Female and Open Male 12:30 p.m.; Semifinals and Finals for all Divisions at 3 p.m. FIGURE SKATING—Carlson Center, Free Skate, Junior Female, Ladies 1, 1:15 p.m., Ladies 2, 2:10 a.m.; Ladies 3, 3:10 p.m.; Ladies 4, 4:30 p.m. ICE HOCKEY—Big Dipper Ice Arena, Midget Male, 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m.; Junior Female, 9 a.m., 3:45 p.m. and 7 p.m.; UAF Patty Center, Bantam Male, 7:15 p.m. INDOOR SOCCER—UAF Student Recreation Center, Intermediate Female, 9 a.m,, 19 a.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m.; Junior Female, 1 p.m.; Junior Male, noon and 3 p.m.; Juvenile Female, 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Juvenile Male, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m. SNOWBOARDING—UAF Hulbert Nanook Terrain Park,

Slopestyle, Junior Female and Junior Male, 11 a.m.; Juvenile Female and Juvenile Male, 11 a.m. SNOWSHOEING—Randy Smith Middle School Track, Junior Female, 100M, 10:15 a.m.; 400M, 10:50 a.m.; 1,500M, 11:50 a.m.; Junior Male, 100M 10:10 a.m.; 400M, 10:40 a.m., 1,500M, 11:44 a.m., Juvenile Female, 100M 10:05 a.m.; 400M, 10:30 a.m.; 800M, 11:37 a.m.; Juvenile Male, 100M, 10 a.m., 400M 10:20 a.m.; 800M, 11:30 a.m.; 4x400M Junior Mixed Relay 12:10 p.m.; Juvenile 4x400M Juvenile Mixed Relay, noon. TABLE TENNIS—Hutchison High School, Doubles, Junior Female, Junior Male, Juvenile Female, Juvenile Male, 10:30 a.m. VOLLEYBALL—West Valley High School, Junior Female, 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m.; Randy Smith Middle School, Junior Male, 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m.; 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. CULTURAL EVENTS—Pioneer Park, AWG Museum Exhibit, Folk Art Fest and Expo, Pin Sales and Pin Trading, Museums and Train Rides, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sled Dog Rides, noon-2 p.m.; Local Performance Series, 2-7 p.m.; UAF Great Hall, College Fair, 9 a.m.noon and 2 p.m.-7 p.m.; Doyon, Ltd., Lunch Performance, Noon-2 p.m.; Grange Hall, North Pole, Yamal in the Children’s Eyes, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Unique sports highlight Arctic Winter Games By Bob Eley ULU NEWS

One of the unique things about the Arctic Winter Games is the inclusion of sports unique to the competing teams from the circumpolar north. Today, some of the more unique events from Arctic Sports and the Dene Games are on the schedule.

The Dene Games are at Randy Smith Middle School and today’s featured event is the snow snake. The Junior male and Juvenile female events are scheduled for 10 a.m., while the Junior female and Open male divisions take place at 12:30 p.m. The snow snake consists of throwing a spear underhanded along a snow field. The longest

throw wins. Today’s Arctic Sports will take place at Lathrop High School. Featured events are the two-foot high kick at 9 a.m., the arm pull at 2:30 p.m. and the Open male head pull at 5:30 p.m. Anoither event unique to the Games is the Alaska state sport of sled dog racing. Today’s mushing event at the Jeff Studdert Racegrounds fea-

tures features the Coed 10-kilometer five-dog race at 10 a.m. and the Junior coed 13K seven-dog race at 11:30 a.m. The Arctic Winter Games are a weeklong sports and cultural extravaganza featuring nearly 2,000 athletes, coaches and cultural delegates from across the circumpolar north. There are nine contingents competing in this year’s Games

— Alaska, Alber ta Nor th, Greenland, Northwest Territories, Nunavik-Quebec, Nunavut, Sapmi (Northern Scandinavia), Yamal (Russia) and the Yukon. Three sports — alpine skiing, figure skating and gymnastics — have been added to the schedule, while table tennis and snowshoeing take the day off. GAMES » U18

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Arctic Winter Games participants demonstrate at Monday cultural events.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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First round of cultural delegates dance, drum By Jonni Roos ULU NEWS

Don’t settle for a boring lunch during Arctic Winter Games week. Instead, add a little excitement in your day by attending one of the free lunchtime cultural performances happening around Fairbanks. Monday was the first of three free lunchtime performances by the visiting contingents’ cultural delegates featuring the music and movements from their native lands. The young artists took the stage in front of a standing room only crowd in the Noel Wien Library auditorium and provided a spectacular performance. The crowd joyfully clapped along to the beat of songs, and stood enraptured

Arctic Winter Games participants demonstrate at Monday cultural events. Ulu News by the performers’ fantastic traditional costumes. “These are the songs of our culture, I will sing them to my children … my drum is my strength,” explained one of the performers. Each of the four performances were unique in their artistic skill and express-

ing the cultural heritage of the artists’ homelands. Bella Beats Dance Troup of Northwest Territories started the performance with a choreographed set comprised of modern music accompanying a powerful display of precision and modern jazz dance moves filtered with classic ballet, punctuated with exciting moments of energetic acrobatics. Vy’ Sey (“Soul of the Tundra”) from Yamal performed songs of their heritage, with haunting melodies and beats on wide skin drums, telling the stories of the animals and the people of northern Siberia. The Yup’ik dancers of Mount Edgecumbe High School chanted and drummed the rhythmic songs of coastal Alaska, telling the tales of the first Western visitors to the villages on snowmachine and by airplane.

The Northwind Dancers of Fort MacKay, Alberta, performed the traditional powwow dances of the Anishinaabi people, telling stories through dance of the healing medicine of the jingle dresses and the beautiful mystique of the fancy dress. Two more free lunchtime performances are schedule this week: From noon-1:30 p.m. today at the downtown Co-Op Plaza and noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. Additional private performances will be held at the Pioneers’ Home and Denali Center. The lunchtime cultural performances are a prelude to the AWG Cultural Galas at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Hering Auditorium. Tickets for the galas are available at all AWG ticket outlets.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Allegood, Treadwell among Winter Games speakers By Danny Martin ULU NEWS

Aelin Allegood is a former Arctic Winter Games athlete. On Sunday night in Carlson Center, she helped welcome the athletes of this year’s Games by joining with Liam Ortega to carry the torch during the opening ceremonies. “I’ve had a chance to be in the Arctic Winter Games, and the chance to welcome the athletes is a another layer of celebration,” Allegood said Monday by telephone. “They’re young and their whole lives and dreams are before them. This is such a special celebration.” Allegood, then known as Aelin Peterson, was a Nordic skier in the 1988 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks and she competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City as a member of the U.S. Ski Team. Ortega is a former AWG speedskater who later became a member of the U.S. National Speedskating Team. “What’s special about the celebration of the Arctic Winter Games is where we live, we’re embracing our outdoor playgrounds and our rich

history,” Allegood said. “It’s such a feeling of gratitude and commonness of who were are, and dreams coming true.” Allegood and Ortega each graduated from West Valley High School. Allegood is now the assistant athletic director for marketing for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Ortega is the founder and director of Driven to Move, a nonprofit organization that inspires youths to greatness by teaching them goal-setting skills and encouraging healthy lifestyles.

Treadwell visits

Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell welcomed athletes and dignitaries of the Arctic Winter Games during two appearances Monday morning. Treadwell spoke at a breakfast for the athletes and later at the daily media briefing at the Carlson Center. “The eyes of the world are turning north,’’ Treadwell, according to a State of Alaska press released, said at the breakfast. “We need to be ready for the spotlight and prepared to lead. “Let’s use this time of competition and camaraderie to get to know

our neighbors,’’ he continued. “Let’s demonstrate we can not only throw straight, shoot straight and skate and ski fast, but also communicate clearly and think creatively.” During the media briefing, Treadwell discussed the Choose Respect campaign that Gov. Sean Parnell started in December 2009 to help stop domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in Alaska. Team Alaska athletes are wearing Choose Respect pins during the Arctic Winter Games to help bring attention to the problems. “Alaska wants to lead many things,” Treadwell said, “but we don’t want to lead in the high level of domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide, and one of the ways we are trying to deal with this issue is the Choose Respect movement.” Choose Respect rallies are scheduled around the state on March 27. Treadwell is scheduled to return to Fairbanks for the AWG closing ceremonies, starting at 6 Saturday night at the Carlson Center. Contact News-Miner sports editor Danny Martin at 459-7586 or follow him on Twitter: @newsminersports.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell welcomed athletes and dignitaries of the Arctic Winter Games during two appearances Monday morning. Treadwell spoke at a breakfast for the athletes and later at the daily media briefing at the Carlson Center. Mark HuFFington/Ulu News

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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GREAT N E I G H B O R S This year Fairbanks will get to show the world what great neighbors Alaskans can be. As a cultural sponsor of the 2014 Arctic Winter Games, Pogo Mine is proud to foster social and cultural awareness and strengthen community ties among the northern regions of the world.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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CONTINGENCY PROFILES

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Russia’s Team Yamal official for 10 years By Libbie Martin ULU NEWS

From far-off Russia, Team Yamal’s 69 athletes are ready to make new friends in Fairbanks. Russia made its first appearance at the Games in 1990 with a small cultural contingent; Yamal officially sent athletes in 2004. Thirty-seven athletes competed in table tennis, traditional winter sports, Inuit sport events and cultural activities. Athletes are chosen for the Games in the All-Yamal competitions in each sport. In addition to their sports skills, their coaches and staff expect them to be “open and friendly, strong and hard working, enthusiastic and active members of Team Yamal,” said Yana Vrublevskaya, assistant chef de mission of Team Yamal. Fifty-two of the young players are first-time AWG competitors. The 13 coaches, all former athletes, are expected to be strong in their sports, a leader and a positive role model for the young athletes. Seven of them are coaching at the Games for the first time. With the five cultural participants, the entire contingent traveled via charter flight — the first time the team has done this, arriving in Fairbanks Friday night. Yamal’s team ranges from an 11-yearold figure skater to a 21-year-old Arctic Sports athlete. With a father-daughter snowshoe team, a mother-daughter biathlon team, a mother coaching her daughter in snowshoeing and a brother-sister pair who compete in

snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, respectively, the team exemplifies the multi-generational nature of the Arctic community. The team has been preparing for some time for this trip. In addition to the sports competitions to select the athletes, there was the application for visas, including a visa interview in a different city. The mission staff prepared gifts and souvenirs and organized an extensive public relations campaign to “promote the AWG and its goals among the Yamal-Nenets population,” Vrublevskaya said. There also were radio programs and interviews with newspapers and magazines. The Games are important because they teach the youth “to be open for the world around, present the richness of the world cultures and traditions (and) help young athletes who have very little experience,” Vrublevskaya said. And while winning gold ulus would be great, Vrublevskaya said, the most important thing is for the team to have fun. “We hope that our team will enjoy every single moment at the Games, will learn something new, gain a good experience of being a part of the international competitions, make new friends and try to achieve their best results,” she said. Given the distance, Team Yamal is not accompanied by a large entourage of fans and spectators. “Practically none except for our charter crew,” Vrublevskaya said.

Ulu News

Alberta North looks forward to competition with peers By Libbie Martin ULU NEWS

The athletes from Team Alberta North are looking for gold ulus in alpine skiing, snowboarding, gymnastics, wrestling and hockey. The 188 athletes, 36 coaches and four cultural participants are accompanied by about 150 family, friends and supporters,

all ready to share their talents and culture with other northern contingents. Team Alberta North athletes are chosen by sport, in ways suited to the particular sport, according to Jerry George, chef de mission. “Each individual sport comes up with their own selection process that ALBERTA NORTH » U9

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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Robert Paddock, left, looks over Sharon Benerth’s pin collection as they negotiate which one she might be willing to trade. Ben Carson looks on. Libbie Martin/ Ulu News

Collectors trade pins in the ‘21st sport’ at AWG By Libbie Martin ULU NEWS

“Hey, you have any pins to trade?” Robert Paddock and Ben Carson, both from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, greet everyone who climbs to the third floor of the Pioneer Park civic center. Their eyes eagerly scan the newcomer’s lanyard or towel, calculating which pin they might want to trade for, and what they’re willing to give up for it. Pin trading, often called “the 21st sport” at the Arctic Winter Games, started off in full mode Monday before Pin Central even opened. Paddock and Carson set themselves up on the third floor and stood at the

top of the stairs, greeting every person who came by with their soon-to-befamiliar tune: “Do you want to trade pins?” Athletes and siblings, coaches and mission staff, spectators and fans — anyone can participate in pin trading. All it takes is desire, dedication and collateral. Paddock has been collecting pins since the Whitehorse 2012 games. He amassed a collection of more than 200 just from Whitehorse. “It’s fun and it gives you something to do,” he said. His goal for the 2014 games is to complete the several puzzle sets some of the contingents are offering —two of which, the ulu from Alaska and the plane from Northwest Territories — he had accomplished by noon Monday, as well as pins from the sports he plays at home: basketball, hockey and gymnastics. But this isn’t just a kids game. Adults are in on it, too.

Ben Carson, left, and Robert Paddock from Yellowknife started collecting and trading pins at the 2012 Whitehorse Games. Paddock has more than 200 from that year alone. Libbie Martin/Ulu News Sharon Benerth, of Fairbanks, an AWG medical volunteer, showed up Monday with a soft cloth book-like pin carrier, ready to do business. She and Paddock bent over the cloth pages of her book, negotiating the trade. When they came to an agreement, the goods were traded and put in their new homes, and both called themselves satisfied with the deal. Benerth got her start in 1970 at the first AWG. “We (Alaska) didn’t have any pins and some of the Canadian teams did,” she said, “so we kind of got bit by the PINS » U9

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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Continued from U8 bug.” She and her husband have attended more than half the ensuing Games, so she has a “rather huge collection, and I started running into duplicates.” But duplicates are good — they give you collateral and you don’t have to give up your favorite pins. “So I started trading,” Benerth said. Most serious pin traders confess to a strategy — they plan out what they are looking for and how they’ll get it. “Everyone has their own preferences,” Benerth said. “The valuable ones are hard to find.” Benerth displays her many hundreds

of pins on a long scarf, which she can roll up for storage and protect the pins. “I started out on a hat,” she said. “But it got too heavy and I was losing them — they were too exposed. So I went to the scarf.” Athletes Machaela Rose, Callie Noskui and Hayley Laughlin from Team Alberta also joined the rush to buy and trade pins Monday morning. “I was so pumped with the pins,” Rose said. “I have so many pins from the last Games.” Alberta is giving the participants a new pin each day, Rose said, so they have plenty of negotiating power going in. Laughlin has a simple goal: “I want a pin from every team this year.”

Hayley Laughlin (left), Callie Noskui and Machaela Rose of Team Alberta show off their pin collections. Libbie Martin/Ulu News

Continued from U7

works best knowing the locations their athletes are coming from,” George said. Coaches are selected by a sport coordinator from Northern Alberta, hired by the Provincial Sport Association. Some coaches are chosen before the athletes; others are selected based on the clubs or communities that field the athletes. Some, like the two Dene Games coaches, are former AWG athletes. The five cultural participants hail from Fort Mackay; they will perform traditional aboriginal dances, like hoop dancing. The Games are an important event for Team Alberta North’s athletes. “The opportunity to compete against their peers from other parts of the world

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is something very few athletes will ever get the chance to experience,” George said. “I also hope they experience the concept of being part of a much larger team, Team Alberta North ... and go watch and support athletes from other sports” and the rest of the northern regions. “The Arctic Winter Games are an opportunity of a lifetime,” George said. “For some of these athletes this will be their only opportunity to experience a multi-sport games or compete against athletes from other countries. “For a select few this may be a stepping stone toward future athletic endeavors and something they can look back on in the future as Olympians,” George added. “It is an opportunity to see sports you would never otherwise experience (Dene Games, Arctic sports, snowshoeing), meet people and make friends from other parts of the circumpolar north.”

U10

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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BLAST FROM THE PAST: Karen Wilken

Athlete: AWG ‘builds tolerance and confidence’ Athlete Name » Karen Wilken

Year with AWG »

1994, Slave Lake Alberta, Canada

Sport » Basketball Place » Gold Ulu

Favorite Memory of this time: During the opening ceremony, I remember it sinking in how special the Arctic Winter Games were. There were all of these kids my age from all over the North and everyone was so joyful and positive. It really sunk in that we were there representing Alaska. The social dances they held for the athletes were very fun. We got to relax, trade pins and learn more about each other. Also, a boy from Alberta taught me how to two-step there. Anything you would have done differently: I probably would have packed more pins and inexpensive Alaskan trinkets like postcards and patches to give away or trade with people. Sometimes I also

regret not trading my team jacket at the end of the games with a girl from Greenland. They had these awesome bright green parkas with fur ruffs, and she wanted my jacket. What are you doing now? Job: Marketing at UAF Community & Technical College Family: Husband Paul Johnson, 3 rescue mutts; Iris (12), Eva Longdoggia (6), Luca (1) Hobbies: Avid home cook, craft beer, swimming, cross-ccountry skiing, cycling, fly fishing, yoga Did your AWG experience.: Being chosen for the Arctic Winter Games was probably the first time I realized that if I took basketball seriously, I could travel and be an ambassador for Alaska, doing a sport that I love. In a lot of ways, the AWG experience parallels the experience of going on college recruiting trips or basketball camps out of your hometown. In each instance, you are pulled from what is familiar and thrust into a situation where there are some unknowns and new people. I think any time kids

experience that, it prepares you mentally for uncertainty and builds tolerance and confidence. Are you involved with AWG now? Doing what? Yes, I am part of the public relations committee and co-chair of social media with Andrew Cassel. Advice: I would absolutely recommend the experience. It’s incredible. I would tell prospective athletes to approach the coaches and organizations involved with AWG directly and let them know that you are interested. To any athlete already competing this year in Fairbanks, I would tell them to practice good sportsmanship, listen to the refs, be present and positive, and above all, have fun! Final thoughts? Best of luck to my nephew, Mason Wilken, who is representing Fairbanks and Team Alaska in basketball. It gives me goosebumps thinking about seeing him at opening ceremonies and on the court vying for the coveted AWG Gold ulu. Have a blast, Mas-man.

Karen Wilken

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Great Spirits: 2014 Arctic Winter Games Volunteer Spotlight

Commitment to Games impresses Jill Marshall By Allen Shaw ULU NEWS

Jill Marshall came to Alaska in 1975 for a three-month stay that never ended. “I started my own graphic design firm, Marshall Arts Design over 25 years ago,” she said. “I love living in Fairbanks and can’t imagine living anywhere else.” She lives in Fairbanks with her husband Charlie McMahon, and their son Josh lives in Anchorage. Marshall has been working on the Fairbanks 2014 Arctic Winter Games for more than three and a half years. “I started by designing the logo and other material that was used in the bid to host the Games in Fairbanks and have been heavily involved ever since,” she said. In the past, Marshall’s involvement with the AWG was as a member of the video crew in 1986 in Whitehorse and attending the 1988 Games in Fairbanks as a spectator.

“Having seen past Games, I was excited and thrilled to be part of the 2014 Games (in Fairbanks),” she said. In addition to the graphic arts, Marshall also provided the design for the Legacy Cauldron in front of the Carlson Center. “The spires echo those in the logo,” she said. “Many local businesses contributed time and expertise to take the design and turn it into the incredible sculpture that will be lit during the Opening Ceremonies.” When Marshall isn’t running the business, working or volunteering for the Games, she likes to paint and teach watercolor; “but there hasn’t been much time for that lately,” she said. She does have her own line of watercolor nature cards and within Alaska has sold more than 30,000 cards featuring her unique designs. Marshall also has a Christmas series, as well as the “Wild Women” series. “The funny thing is,” said Mar-

shall, who doesn’t consider herself wild at all, “I think I’m channeling the ghost of a wild woman. The ideas just keep coming to me, even in the middle of the night.” As for the Games, Marshall said the organization it took to pull off the Games is mind-boggling. “There are so many parts to it,” Marshall said. “There are more than 70 committees, with more than 2,500 volunteers working to make the Fairbanks Games a wonderful experience for athletes, spectators, friends and families. “Fairbanks is an amazing community when it comes to people stepping up to lend their time and expertise,” she added. “I think the most challenging element of the Arctic Winter Games is just the massive undertaking involved in being a gracious, well-prepared host.” Marshall also gives credit to the many generous sponsors who have helped make the Games a reality. “Fairbanks is ready,” she said. We truly are the golden heart of Alaska.”

Athletes go for the gold. We’ll take care of the green.

Fort Knox is proud to promote recycling and waste reduction at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks. By engaging and empowering athletes and spectators, we can help foster sustainable decisions that safeguard the environment throughout our region.

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Jill Marshall

Ulu News

U12

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Skiers race at Birch Hill on Monday.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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Troy Bouffard/Ulu News

Birch Hill was the place to be for competitors, fans By Scott J. McCrea ULU News

“More cowbell” was the theme of the day Monday at the Birch Hill Recreation Area. The noisemaker seemed to be the cheering implement of choice by the boisterous spectators on hand for the various Arctic Winter Games sports taking place, including cross-country skiing, biathlon-ski and biathlon-snowshoe.

In true AWG fashion, fans spread the cheering and cowbell clanging equally for all competitors. Throngs of yellow-coated AWG volunteers made their way around the area, helping skiers to their feet after many of them collapsed coming across the finish line. Birch Hill was truly the place to be for fans and athletes alike, with near perfect weather conditions that got warmer as the day progressed.

The well-groomed trails also provided great race conditions close to ideal for the 122 skiers who were participating in the 5-kilometer interval start freestyle competition. The race was divided out into six divisions to include Junior female and male, Juvenile female and male, and Midget female and male. Sapmi captured a total of seven ulus for the day’s skiing events, including three gold. Yamal

earned five, including a clean sweep of the Junior female division. Team Alaska represented the state with five medals, to include gold finishes in both the Midget female (Molly Gellert, Anchorage) and Midget male (Ti Donaldson, Fairbanks) divisions. With a tall green leprechaun hat on her head while volunteering at the concession stand for Nordic Ski Club, Kristan Kelly, of Fairbanks, was one of the many

parents at the races, cheering on her son, Logan Mowry, who was competing in the Juvenile male division, where he placed sixth. “It’s surprisingly like being in the Olympics,” said Kelly of the experience of having a son competing in the Arctic Winter Games. “When I take him to the grocery store and he is wearing his coat, people stop him and ask him if he is competing for Team BIRCH HILL » U13

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

ulu news

BIRCH HILL

Ski biathlon Juvenile Female: 1. Valeriia Fominykh, Yamal; 2. Grace Evangeline Gilliland, Alaska; 3. Liesel Vonlmhof, Alaska. Juvenile Male: 1. Justin Thane Carpenter, Alaska; 2. Mikhail Kozhevnikov, Yamal; 3. Denis Perelygin. Junior Female: 1. Nadia Moser, Yukon; 2. Tatyana Sergeeva, Yamal; 3. Ekaterina Drozdova, Yamal. Junior Male: 1. Ivan Bezmaterrykh, Yamal; 2. Alex Kilby, Alaska; 3. Ivan Popov, Yamal.

Continued from U12 Alaska. It’s fun and really exciting.” Kelly said her son was “very impressed” by the level of competition among the other skiers. Meanwhile, to the south of the stadium down White Bear Trail, a different competition altogether was taking place with the Biathlon Snowshoe mass start event. While the rules of skiing are well known among locals, this event required a little advance knowledge for the spectators. Fortunately, the announcer did a good job of explaining some of the rules ahead of time to the crowd. The Biathlon Snowshoe was divided into four divisions: 2.5K mass start Juvenile female and male and 4K mass start Junior female and male. The event was a combination of snowshoe racing with shooting at five metal targets from a distance of 50 meters. The juvenile competitors shot from the prone position only, while junior competitors shot in a combination of prone and standing. None of the competitors carried their rifles with them while racing. For each target missed, the competitor had to do an additional 50 meter penalty loop. Arctic Winter Games rules even specify criteria for the snowshoes (wooden frame with a leather or gut webbing) and footwear (mukluks, moccasins or kamiks). The day belonged to Yamal, with competitors taking home seven of 12 possible medals, to include four gold. Team Alaska was next with three, followed by Yukon with two. Later, in the afternoon, the Biathlon Ski mass start took

U13

A snowshoe runner races at Birch Hill on Monday.

place, with divisions to include 5.0K Juvenile female and male and 7.5K Junior female and male. Similar to the snowshoe competition, competitors did not carry their rifles with them while racing and the penalty loop was 100 meters as opposed to 50. This one belonged to the Northwest Territories team, who claimed six medals, followed by Team Alaska and Yamal with two each, and Yukon and Alberta North with one each. Snowshoeing rounded up the day at the recreation area, while on the other side of Birch Hill at Fort Wainwright, the snowboarding slalom events took place. Birch Hill Recreation Ski Area events continue today with competitions to include cross-country skiing, biathlon snowshoe, and biathlon ski. Just make your way to the park-

Rachel Joy McElwee/Ulu News

ing lot and from there, follow the sound of the cowbells.

Monday’s medalists

Cross-country skiing Junior Female: 1. Valeriia Meleshenko, Yamal; 2. Ekaterina Ivanova, Yamal; 3. Nelli Timakova, Yamal. Junior Male: Aslak Ole Mathisen Eira, Sapmi; Aleksei Sokolov, Yamal; 3. Jesse Mayo, Alaska Juvenile Female: 1. Aylin Asli, Sapmi; 2. Abby Fair Amick, Alaska; 3. Vibeke Persen, Sapmi. Juvenile Male: 1. Jan Arthur Reinaa, Sapmi; 2. Einar Mikal Andreessen, Sapmi; 3. Danil, Neustroev, Yamal. Midget Female: Molly Gel-

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Snowshoe biathlon Junior Female: 1. Svetlana Krainova, Yamal; 2. Alasya Nikolaenko, Yamal; Katie Daniels, Alaska. Junior Male: 1. Anton Kanev, Yamal; 2. Vadim Brudin, Yamal; Ciell Crook, Northwest Territories. Juvenile Female: 1. Daria Ianenko, Yamal; 2. Erin Skye McLeod, Alaska; 3. Alina Shevchuk, Yamal. Juvenile Male: 1. Gleb Gogolov, Yamal; 2. Daniel David Sennett, Yukon; 3. Dylan Jones, Alaska.

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lert, Alaska; 2. Ida Storjord Tovla, Sapmi; 3. Hannah Jirousek, Yukon. Midget Male: 1. Ti Donaldson, Alaska; 2. Luke Jager, Alaska; 3. Ovlia Per Slkoglunc Sara, Sapmi.

Snowshoeing Juvenile Female: 1. Riana Eleanor Boonstra; 2. Anna Beldiagina, Yamal; 3. Ava Cairns-Hanberg, Yukon. Juvenile Male: 1. Jacob Wesley Moos, Alaska; 2. Kinill Ermolerko, Yamal; 3. Derby McIntyre, Yukon. Junior Female: Mirallo Martens, Alberta North; 2. Maddie Hall, Alaska; 3. Sara Burke-Forsyth, Yukon. Junior Male: 1. Kieran Lewis Halliday, Yukon; 2. Riley James Howard, Alaska; 3. Riley Evan Moser, Alaska.

U14

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

First full day brings out the best in competitors By Bob Eley ULU NEWS

The first full day of competition at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games brought out the best in athletes competing in some of the more traditional sports of the circumpolar north — Arctic Sports, Dene Games and dog mushing. The Dene Games opened with the stick pull, which was dominated by competitors from Alaska and Greenland. Alaskans won the gold ulu in three of the four divisions, while Greenland dominated the Open male competition, with Jens Jengen Lange taking the gold ulu by defeating fellow countryman Minik Platou in an “if ” match. Alaska’s Misty May Wilmarth Agoff took the gold in the Junior

female division, while Randy Standifer Jr. earned gold in the Junior male event and Piiyuuk Olivia Shields claimed the top spot in the Junior female division. The kneel jump was the featured event of the day in the Arctic Sports category. The gold ulus were captured by participants from four different contingents. Robyn Poulter from Yukon took home the gold in the Junior female division, with Dylan Gordon of Nunavik-Quebec earning gold in the Junior male competition in the Open classes, Apaay Campbell of Alaska won the female title and Drew Bell of Nunavut was the male champion. A l a s k a ’s C a s e y F e r g u s o n SPORTS » U16

Arctic Winter Games athletes participate in an ear pull competition. John Rusyniak/ulu News

Above: An Arctic Winter Games athlete participates in a high kick competition Monday. John Rusyniak/ulu News

An Arctic Winter Games skater races in a competition Monday. Greg Martin/ulu News

Left: A dog is excited while mushing in an Arctic Winter Games race Monday. Ulu News

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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U15

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